Dundee man charged with ‘recklessly producing household electricity’

That’s a fabulous name for a crime, isn’t it? It tops the crimes of “furious driving” and “embracery” (attempting to influence a jury by promises, persuasions, entreaties, entertainments, and the like).

At Dundee Sheriff Court, it is alleged that Mr McKenzie created a “dangerous transformer assembly” at his flat in Dundee’s Dudhope Court to generate power. It is allrged that he acted “with total disregard for the safety of yourself and others”.

Mr McKenzie, 55, was not at Dundee Sheriff Court to face the charge of culpable and reckless conduct.

Sheriff George Way then did as anyone might – he asked what the hell the crime was:

“I don’t quite understand – how does one culpably and recklessly produce electricity?”

Fiscal depute Laura Bruce explined:

“The Crown’s position is that he had this man-made assembly in his house suspended from the ceiling by thin ropes. There was a car battery and cans of petrol nearby.”

He went off-grid, allegedly.

Is it illegal to produce your own electricity? No. How did he do it..?